Celebrity Birthdays for April 4 – Maya Angelou, Robert Downey, Jr. and More

Known For: Being one of the most celebrated writers of her generation with dozens of awards and over 30 honorary doctoral degrees, penning classic works like ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,’ reciting her poem ‘On the Pulse of Morning’ at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration, and racking up far more accomplishments than we could possibly list here

Known For:His Oscar-nomination for ‘Chaplin,’ roles in other films like ‘Less Than Zero,’ ”Natural Born Killers,’ ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ and the ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Sherlock Holmes’ franchises, his celebrated recovery from a severe substance abuse problem, and coming out of it on the other side even more talented and adorable than before

Known For: His Emmy-winning role as Hayden Fox on the sitcom ‘Coach,’ starring in movies including ‘Poltergeist,’ voicing Mr. Incredible in ‘The Incredibles,’ and his current role as the patriarch on the great but under-watched drama ‘Parenthood’

Known For: Winning an acting Oscar for ‘Swing Shift’ and a directing Oscar for the short film ‘Lieberman in Love,’ starring on the TV series ‘Chicago Hope’ and ‘Jack & Bobby,’ and critically-acclaimed roles in TV miniseries and movies like ‘Amerika’ and ‘An American Daughter’